Minutes
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Call to order at 7:00pm
ATTENDANCE: John Veentjer; Chris Garrod (VP & Five Star); Beckey Ranstrom (VP); Shawn O’Brien (At Large); Billie Hartline (Scheduler and Inglemoor); Bob Goldberg (Officials); Chuck Nichols (At Large); Courtney Brown (Bellevue B&G Club); Greg Richardson (Bears); Susanna Chung (Knights); Greg Pardee (Wolverines); Greg Brink (Bainbridge Island); Ron Walker (Bothell); Bob Woods (Eastlake); Chris Garrod (Five Star); Beckey and Duane Ranstrom (Inglemoor); Dave Ciszewski (Issaquah); Doug Evanson (Redmond); John Nelson (Univac); Steve Cox (Skyline); Michael Burrus (Woodinville)
Systems not represented: Kirkland; Mercer Island; SnoValley Redwolves; SnoValley Wildcats
Others not present: Sham Austin (Webmaster)
Introductions
l With a number of new faces in the room, everyone was asked to introduce themselves and the System to which they belong.
l Everyone is reminded to update their System web site with current points and contact and registration information. Also let John know of any changes in the System administration, e.g., President and/or Council rep so our GEJFA web site can also be kept current.
Minutes of the last meeting – the December minutes were not available for distribution at this meeting. They will be distributed when available and posted to the web site.
Paul Manjarrez – we note the passing of Paul and the loss to our Program. Paul has been the backbone of the Newport Knights, a past Secretary of GEJFA, and a regular participant in the Council. Paul will be missed by all who knew him.
Championship Game Video
l Briefly discussed the reported problem with championship game DVD. Generally, some were not happy with the video and didn’t understand the audio. Regarding the video, they didn’t like the multiple camera changes per play; the consensus was to keep it simple with a broader view of the action and some zoom shots, but stay away from 3 or 4 camera changes per play. Regarding the audio, those who complained just didn’t know that there were two separate audio tracks, one being the PA system and the other being the play-by-play discussion. The volume on these may have differed, but there really wasn’t any problem hearing what was being said. Additionally, Inglemoor reported that the label on their DVD had the wrong score indicated. This will be taken up with Final Take (PS: new labels were to be provided).
l It was suggestion that we reduce the video to a simpler approach.
l It was suggestion that we look into alternatives.
l It was suggested that we that we reduce the price to the individual player/purchasers by paying more production fee upfront. Also suggested that we just purchase a master for each team, eliminate minimums and let each team worry about reproduction and distribution. The supplier could still do the reproduction, but coordinate directly with a team representative.
l Consensus was that the Championship Game videos are important and should be continued.
Calendar Review -- Calendar is essentially the same as last year with the dates adjusted accordingly. We did add one Council meeting during the season such that Council will meet every two weeks during the season. An additional Council meeting in the off-season was considered at the December 2005 meeting but not favored by Council; it would have been in April. The following upcoming important dates were highlighted:
· June 6 -- Next Council meeting
· July 1 -- Team Count, home game dates and times due
· August 1 -- Preliminary Master Roster for review due
· August 14 -- Council and Coaches Meeting at BCC
· August 15 -- First practice
Committee Assignments – The following committee assignments were addressed.
l Grievance – we need at least three Council members to serve on this committee; but more is desirable. They do not necessarily need to be voting members, but those who regularly attend and participate in the Council meetings. At least three members need to be available for a Grievance Committee meeting when called. The following individuals volunteered their services: Bob Woods (returning), Greg Pardee (returning), Chuck Nichols (returning), Chris Garrod, Beckey Ranstrom, and Billie Hartline.
l Roster review – we will do the preliminary roster review this year the same as we did it last year. We will need at least one representative from each System to participate in the review. We will do a better job of training this individuals regarding what it is they are to be looking for. All preliminary rosters are to be turned in before this August 1 review meeting.
l Husky Pre-game – Woodinville is next up on the list for a Husky pre-game, thus they are to seek such an opportunity directly with the Huskies.
l Seahawks – John will work with the Seahawks to get at least one pre-game as he did last year.
Age/Weight Chart – the 2006 Chart is posted on the web site. Essentially it is the same as before with only the dates rolled forward one year. We will likely modify to some degree to address proposed change for the Senior level.
Rules update – we have a number of rule change proposals to consider. We discussed each of the following proposals at this Council meeting but reserved the vote of the June meeting except in the case of the Senior proposal.
l Change in the Senior format such that there are two Divisions: (1) a 9th grade and under; and (2) an 8th grade and under. This is essentially what we did last year, except that we still had an age cutoff. Under this change, all 9th graders would be eligible. To allow Systems to registers players in the spring, a motion to make this change was made by Billie with seconds by Ron and Chris and voted by Council to approve.
l Timeouts under the 32 point rule: The suggestion is to allow both teams time-outs that actually stop the clock.
l Scouting by video: A proposal has been made to allow it. The discussion indicated that this may only worsen the situation between the strong teams and the weak teams as it is likely that the stronger teams are already scouting and the weaker teams aren’t likely to begin scouting.
l Jerseys: The proposal is to establish in rule a home and away jersey color vs primary and secondary. This would mean that you always wear the home jersey when playing at home and the away jersey when playing away. Currently, the home team wears their primary color and the visiting must wear a contrasting color which could also be their primary as long as it contrasts with the home team color.
l Equipment standards: A proposal was made to establish a guide for equipment standards for use by the Systems. This is intended to provide guidance to the Systems but also protection for GEJFA to ensure that no System is using equipment that is not in good condition.
l Substitution rule: We have several proposals on this subject and this was our longest discussion. The proposals range from stricter application of the rule to stiffer enforcement to procedures for protesting to consistent application of enforcement to elimination of the rule except to increase minimum number of plays. This discussion also addressed the inconsistent and questionable practice of disciplining players such that the weakest players seem to be sitting out.
l Championship tie breakers: The proposal is to change the rule to allow for a tie breaker for the Championship game.
Enforcing good sportsmanship: This involves greater emphasis on the existing sportsmanship rules: swifter action, personal fouls, unsportsmanlike fouls, ejections and maybe even terminations. This matter is brought about by a practice this past year of defensive players charging off sides before the snap and making significant impact with the center and/or quarterback. This will not be tolerated. Coaches will be warned. Officials will be trained.
We need better accounting of all volunteers (master roster list, timely and proper completion of coaching application and 100% submission for background checks). This is important to ensuring appropriate insurance coverage.
Frequently Asked Questions – Just a reminder that there is a link on the GEJFA site for FAQs. If there is some Q and A that needs be added, let John know.
Coaching Application – The GEJFA Coaching Application form (not mandatory) serves three purposes and all Systems are encouraged to use. It gives the System good background information about coach applicants to help in selecting coaches. It also serves as the background check application; the Club can use the information on this application (provided it is complete and accurate) to conduct the online background checks; the Club is using a national background check program this year vs the WSP site. The Coaching Application also serves to document the coaches certification that they have read the GEJFA rules and signed the Code of Conduct.
Coach Training (see attached proposal) -- The proposal is to make some form of appropriate training mandatory. Numerous training options are available, e.g., Coaching Academy; NYSCA (Boys and Girls Club is going to become a NYSCA Chapter); American Sports Education Program (ASEP) clinics and online training; and Coach4Kids clinics (as we did last year). Enforcement may come in the form of punishment should a coach appear before the Grievance Committee; no training brings stiff penalty, training may reduce penalty.
First aid requirement – System to ensure each team has a certified first aid person. If we require training above, we may be able to dispense with First Aid certification as most of the training options offer some degree of first aid training.
Officials – Still need Systems to recruit new officials (2 new officials from each system); we would like to see more adults, however, the high school kids are doing a very good job and those who are in their third or fourth year are maturing well. We are also looking into a partnership with PNFOA for training.
Adjourn